Metallurgical process



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

WARREN r. .BLEECKER, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

METALLURGICAL PROCESS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN F. Bnnncnnn, of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallurgical Processes; and I do hereby debe low in carbon, without resort to the use of such reducing agents as silicon, aluminum, ferro-manganese and the like which have a deleterious effect upon the alloy. V

A further object is to provide a process for making alloys, wherein the materials are reduced with carbon and still produce an alloy low in carbon.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in reducing a metallurgical mixture with excess of carbon to produce an alloy high in carbon and continuing the reduction process with slag forming material and added uiireduced metallurgical material to produce an alloy low in carbon. 7

The invention further consists in mixing metallic oxids and reducing the same with an excess of carbon to produce 'an alloy high in carbon, and then continuing the reduction process with slag forming material and added unreduced oxids to produce an alloy low in carbon.

The invention further consists in certain novel steps in the process of making alloys low in carbon, as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying my process into effect, I first smelt metallic oxids-or salts, such as ferric oxid and vanadium, uranium or chromium oxid, preferably in an electric furnace, with an excess of'carbon and the necessary elements to form a fluid slag. The slag forming material to be used will depend upon the impurities present in the oxids.

The alloy resulting from the above-described reducing ste of the process will be an alloy high in carbon, a large proportion of which latter. will be present as carbids.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1913. Serial No. 765,249.

I forming,

reducing temperature as before, so that the A very large excess of carbon in this step of the process is not necessary so long as enough shall be employed to effect complete reduction of all the metallic elements present in the material being reduced. The alloy, high in carbon, resulting from the firststep of the process will, preferably, be reduced to a suitable fineness and mixed with a calculated amount of unreduced oxids and slag material, and then'subjected to a carbon content of the alloy will be reduced by the oxids. That is to say, the carbon content of the alloy resulting from the first step of the process, is utilized for the reduction of further oxids and is replaced by the alloy so reduced. The result is an alloy which is unusually low in carbon.

In smelting processes heretofore practised vin making alloys, where a high carbon content such as would be obtained with one reduction, is not desirable, resort has been-had to other reducing agents, such as silicon,

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

aluminum, ferro-manganese and the like, but

these substances have a deleterious effect upon the alloy,all of which is obviated in the alloy produced by my improved method.

It is not absolutely essential to remove the alloy high in carbon, resulting from the first step of the process,,from the furnace. Instead of doing this, slag may be drawn off, and fresh oxids, together with slag forming material, added to the heated metal,the

.important features of my invention comprising the complete reduction of the metal and the simultaneous production of slag depleted in oxids, in the first ste ,and a second step consisting in the re ning of the metal made in the first step, by removing the carbon withfresh oxids. Regarding slag forming material, the metallurgist will know from an analysis of the raw materials what to add to make the slag. In some cases it may be a basic material, such as lime or magnesia, or it may be an acid material, such as alumina or silica.

Having fully described myinvention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The herein described process, consisting.in reducing a metallurgical mixture to produce an alloy high in carbon, mixing with the reduced material a quantity of un'-- reduced metallurgical material together with slag forming material and heati the mixture whereby a portion of the car 11 of the alloy is removed. e i

2. The herein described process, consisting in mixing with an alloy high in carbon, slag forming" material and unreduced metallic oxid, and subjecting the whole to a reducing temperature.

3. The herein described process, consisting in reducing a mixture of metallic oxids with slag-forming material and an excess of carbon to produce an alloy high in carbon, and then mixing with such alloy slag forming material and unreduced oxids, ing the same to produce an alloy low in carbon. A

4. The herein described process, consisting in reducing pulv'erulent metallic oxid, slag forming material and an excess of carbon, to produce an alloy high in carbon, mixand heating with such alloy slag forming material and =unreduced metallic oxids, and heating the same to produce an alloy low in carbon.

5. The herein described process, consisting in reducing a mixture of ferric oxid and vanadium mad with slag forming material and excess of carbon to produce an alloy high in carbon, then mixing with said alloy unreduced ferric and vanadium oxids and slagforming material, and heating the same to produce a ferrovanadium alloy low in carbon.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of'two subscribing witnesses.

WARREN F. BLEEOKER.

Witnesses:

Jos. A. KELLY,

WM. GANLEY. 

